Dearly Departed (Final Fan-Made Chapter to PineappleBombGirl's story)
by Dreampainter97
Summary: This is a fan-made chapter to a story my good friend, PineappleBombGirl, made. She wanted to hear my version of it's ending, so here it is! If you want to completely understand this, you'll have to read her first two chapters! Alfred x Pina-Chan's OC, Arthur x my OC. Julia is suffering from heartbreak at the departure of her husband to war, but she's trying to keep her head up.


_**READTHISREADTHISREADTHIS!**_ This storyline does not belong to me! My wonderful friend PineappleBombGirl wrote the first two chapters and I told her I already went ahead and wrote a third and she wanted me to post it so here it is! ~ This is my version of the last chapter to her three-chapter story," Dearly Departed." I _**HIGHLY**_ suggest you read it. You may be lost if you read this and don't read the first two chapters that she wrote. They're wonderful! Oh, and I do not own Hetalia or Julia :) Julia belongs to PineappleBombGirl, and Hetalia belongs to Himaruya Hidekaz

_Dearly Departed_

"Here you go, darlin'."

Julia looked up from her seat in the kitchen as freshly-brewed coffee was poured into her cup, the smell instantly pleasing to her senses. She smiled brightly and happily took the cup, enjoying the warmth it gave the palms of her hands in the cool spring morning air. Her dirty-blonde hair was freshly washed and blow-dried, and she felt prettier than normal on that particular Saturday morning. She and her in-law, Victorea, had shopped the other day, and she was wearing a sun dress she had bought there. It was fun, actually. She hadn't had much fun since her husband left for Afghanistan, but that was a day that the both of them needed. She had her brows waxed, her hair trimmed, and her face in a brighter smile than normal. She had been keeping up this positive attitude for almost a week, even though there hasn't been a single letter from her husband in two weeks. She was sitting in a wooden chair at a nice table in a cozy kitchen, with the sun shining brightly through the windows and the entire place as clean as always. Victorea did a good job of keeping it that way, and Julia had tried her best to help, of course.

She turned to her in-law to watch her brew some tea in a kettle curiously. Julia wasn't necessarily the most perceptive when it came to people, but she could see that her friend wasn't as happy and chipper as she usually was. Victorea was a pretty girl, no doubt, but her blue eyes didn't have the shine that they usually did. They haven't since her husband left for Afghanistan, along with Alfred. Julia always wondered if that's how she looked. Victorea's shoulders sagged a little, and she didn't have as much enthusiasm to go anywhere anymore. But she still kept up a cheery voice and a positive attitude, which made Julia all the more confident that she needed to do the same. She looked beautiful, too. Out of girlish boredom, Julia helped her pick out a cute sundress as well, and her hair was up in a long ponytail so her blond hair didn't cover her freckle-dusted cheeks. Julia felt like she should do something to cheer her up again today. She knew that yesterday's shopping cheered her up a little too, even if that wasn't something either of them really liked. It just felt…Normal.

"Thanks, Tia," Julia chirped happily.

Victorea turned back to her and smiled a little, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Well, someone's in a good mood. Had a nice morning shower, I see?"

Julia laughed a little in her throat and took a sip of her coffee. It felt nice and warm, and she closed her eyes in bliss as it ran down her throat and into her stomach. "It's a nice day today. I think we should go riding or something."

Victorea laughed. "You're going to wear out those poor horses, sugar!" Her accent always seemed amplified when she was happy. "But alright, if you say so!" Her voice sounded so full of warmth and love, Julia wondered how she managed such a mask. If someone didn't know her like she did, they would say that Victorea was a happy person inside and out. Her voice and laugh always cheered Julia up.

Julia smiled again. She wanted to be strong for her friend. For herself. For Alfred. The name always tapped her heart a little now. She sighed a little, trying to make noise so the tears that began to prick at her eyes didn't show. She didn't want Victorea seeing. Fortunately, Victorea left the room, muttering something about needing to feed the chickens, and Julia wiped her eyes as soon as she left. She thought about perhaps writing another letter back to him. Maybe he just didn't get the last one she sent? She couldn't ever tell him how much she missed him, no matter how much she wanted to. She wanted to be strong for him. She remembered with fondness the mornings they had spent lying in bed, with his arm wrapped in firm gentleness around her shoulders, his lips on her forehead and his eyes bright and happy. She missed that. Fortunately here in Faversham, it's constantly raining, so she doesn't have to see the bright blue sky that reminds her of his vivid blue eyes so much.

Unfortunately for her, today was one of those days where the sky was light blue. The birds were chirping, and Julia could faintly hear the sound of a horse whinnying in the distance, followed by two more. She listened to them. What were they saying? Arthur and Victorea used to have two horses – one for each of them. However, when they learned Arthur and Alfred were being deported, they bought another horse for Julia to ride while she was here. Arthur's horse only ever listens to Arthur, and even that's rare. Julia liked her horse, and she was a little excited to go riding again. She could feel her heart starting to mend its wounds a little. She told Victorea something about this earlier. Victorea told her that it must have been all of her positivity. She said that when you put positive thoughts out into the universe, they will always come back at you one way or another. Julia grinned at the thought again. Maybe she'll get some good luck today?

She wanted to try it. _I am going to be happy. I am happy. I am loved. I am safe. Alfred is safe. Alfred will come home. Everything will work out._

…But it's been three years. His term was supposed to be three years. The anniversary of his departure was two days ago. That's why the lonely wives decided to celebrate the next day – to try and lift their broken spirits. She hasn't gotten a call. Or a letter. Nothing at all to let her know that he's okay. It's the same with her brother-in-law. She and Victorea have remained optimistic, with Victorea claiming that no news can only be good news, but she says so with a heavy heart. If they were missing, hurt…or…worse…Then they would have been notified by now. So clearly everything is alright.

And yet, even with that thought in mind, Julia now fears getting the mail. She hopes for a letter that never comes, and dreads a telegram with news that would shatter her heart to a million pieces. She closed her eyes tightly at the thought, forcing the tears back into her system. _No. Don't cry. Be strong._

She sighed, once again trying to make noise to keep herself from crying. While her heart was healing, the lacerations were still sore and raw, and she feared it would be a long time before they would heal at this rate. She looked out past the living room adjacent to the kitchen and at the grand piano that sat there, remaining untouched for as long as Julia had visited. A few times she had heard it being played, and she assumed it was Victorea, considering she was the only other one in the house, let alone the only one that could play, and the songs were deep and sorrowful. But every time she would go down to see, the music stopped and Victorea was off in the kitchen or reading in the living room.

It was so strange. She and Alfred always passed the time in the car and on the plane by playing ridiculous games and recalling silly memories and such, and they would be greeted by Arthur and Victorea at the airport always the same way: Victorea would give a warm hug and a happy smile and a sweet "Hello," and Arthur would shake hands with the both of them and greet them politely, happy to see them but keeping his posture like the self-proclaimed gentleman he was. Then on the way back, Arthur would drive, Victorea would be in the front seat, and Julia and Alfred would be in the back, and all of them would catch up on events with laughter and drama and happiness and love. It was always so enjoyable.

But this time around, it was different. Julia took the plane alone, staring out into the clouds solemnly, wondering if Alfred could see the same sun she saw right then, or if he was in another world completely, gone forever. She imagined all of the stories they had told on flights in the past, and remembered with a humorless smile how he would irritate the flight attendants by eating way too much and being too loud. And when she landed, she was met by a grave, quiet Victorea, who was also alone. She looked as lost and helpless as Julia felt. And when she hugged her friend and sister-in-law, Julia knew it wasn't a hug of earnest welcome, but one of comfort, as if to say, _'I know what you're going through, and we'll get through this together.'_ It made Julia tear up a little just remembering it. And the way back home was with Victorea driving and Julia in the front seat, the both of them silent the entire ride back, Victorea teary-eyed, as if the presence of Julia there only made the somber situation the both of them were in all the more real.

Happy memories are easy to think about if you can certainly repeat them. Once you realize you may never get the chance to do it again, they become painful. Julia could look past the piano at the window and see Victorea feeding the chickens that surrounded her, and she knew that it must have been harder for her, considering this might be the second person she loved that was taken from her. But Victorea treated Julia as if she was hurting the same amount she was, and that gave Julia all the more reason to feel guilty and sad. Perhaps he may never come back…?

_No. Don't think that. Strong. Be strong._

But the tears began to prick at her eyes, so she knew she had to get up and do something to distract herself. It had been an entire week since she last broke down, and she wasn't planning on doing it again anytime soon. She scanned the kitchen, and remembered that Victorea had been talking about needing to water the plants. She looked around in the homey kitchen and envied the green leaves and colorful flowers that decorated the room so nicely. Arthur had very good taste when it came to decoration, without a doubt.

She smiled as she looked over at one particular plant. A simple Arrowhead Plant, really, but it had memories within its roots. She remembered Alfred buying it for Arthur and Victorea on their first anniversary, and Julia smiled as she remembered smacking him upside the head when he forgot to water it for a long time, and it had wilted by the time they got to Faversham.

"_What kind of a gift is a dead plant?" she said with a snicker. She held it up, as if presenting it to an invisible person in front of her. "Here's to a long and happy marriage. A dead plant. For you."_

"_It's not my fault!" Alfred whined for the thirtieth time. "I asked you to water it!"_

"_No you didn't!" Julia laughed._

"…"

"…_You forgot to tell me to water it, didn't you?"_

_His sheepish smile answered the question for her, and she laughed again and kissed his cheek. She wasn't really mad. He was too adorable to stay mad at for too long._

She grinned at the memory. Victorea laughed when Alfred presented it to her, and Arthur just looked confused. But, Arthur and Victorea somehow got it back into shape, and it was quite pretty. Julia sighed. _Great, I can't even look at a plant without getting sentimental._

She scanned the room again and found the small yellow watering can that sat on the windowsill. She stood up slowly and grabbed it, bringing it to the sink and filling it with water. The sink sounded so much louder when the house was empty. Even the water that sloshed around in the can as she turned to the plants and the footsteps that padded the floor softly seemed to have been amplified by the emptiness in the house. _And in me..._

She poured the water in a soft drizzle down into the soil of the plants one by one. She froze a little right before the Arrowhead, the nose of the watering can almost lowered enough to spill the water to quench the plant. She stared at it for a while, those memories flooding into her mind as the water did to the roots of the plants.

_"Wow, you did a good job keeping that plant alive!" Alfred remarked. It had only been two months since the plant had been given the last time they visited, but now it was full and lush, as if basking in its place on the counter royally. _

_ "Well, Arthur has quite the green thumb! It was healthy in almost a week!" Victorea chirped jovially. Arthur, who was standing beside her, blushed and shifted his feet. Normally a compliment would have him boasting for hours, but whenever it was from his wife of only four months, he would act the exact opposite. And Alfred thought it was the funniest thing since Jeff Dunham._

Julia smiled again gloomily. That laugh of his was so contagious. She poured the water in the plant slowly, and as she did, she continued to reminisce.

_"Alfred!" Julia shouted at him with a laugh as cloth was placed over her eyes to keep her from seeing whatever it was her new husband was so excited over. _

_ She heard his laugh from behind her and felt his soft lips kiss her temple quickly. "Nope! It's a surprise! Come on!"_

_ She felt his hand grab her wrist tightly and pull her forward, and she dug her heels into the ground as hard as she could to try and stop her freakishly strong husband from dragging her into a wall. He laughed again, and she smiled at the sound, despite wanting to appear angry. "Aw, come on, don't you trust me?" He used that voice that always made Julia cave in to his wishes - the slightly playful, slightly sad, and all-loving tone that he knew would get her to do whatever it was he wanted. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, knowing very well that he was giving her the puppy-eyes even if she couldn't see them. Instead of giving him an answer, she just huffed. He knew that was an affirmation to continue, and he kissed her lips quickly and, without warning, picked her up bridal-style and carried her to a place she couldn't see. He always was a rather spontaneous individual, but this was a little bit of a stretch, even for him._

_ She recognized the sound of their front door opening, then a burst of fresh summer air, and a slamming of the door shut again. The footsteps down the stairs of their apartment complex, and the sound of their car door opening. She was placed on the seat with surprising gentleness - something unusual for him. He shut the door with a quick comment about keeping the blindfold on, to which she responded with another huff, and the door slammed shut and she waited until he got in on the other side and shut the door. She heard his seatbelt buckle, and then her arm was raised gently so he could buckle hers for her. She scowled a little._

_ "Come on, Alfred, you know I don't like surprises."_

_ "Aw, but you'll love this one, Queenie!"_

_ "But I want to know what it is now!"_

_ "Nope, can't tell ya."_

_ "Alfred!"_

_ The entire ride back was like that. With a bossy Julia arguing to a happy Alfred. She didn't mean any harm in it, and he knew it. But he was too stubborn to cave in, no matter how hard she tried. The car ride must have been ten to twenty minutes long. _

_ "Alright, we're here!"_

_ "Ugh, finally!" Julia groaned. She reached back to take off her blindfold, but Alfred grabbed her hands quickly. "Aw, come on!"_

_ Alfred kissed her again, but this time it was slower and sweeter and she felt her heart melt at the amount of love he radiated for her. She felt him smile against her lips when she began to kiss back, and he pulled away. She could almost hear his smirk. "Not yet, Julia. Just a little longer."_

Julia felt her eyes begin to water again, and she only just realized that she was missing the plant entirely and pouring water all over the counter. Hastily she threw the watering can into the sink and searched for the paper towels, cleaning up the mess before anyone could see. She sighed and threw the paper towels away, sitting back down in her chair as before and taking another sip of her coffee, which was now almost cold.

_She felt him unbuckle her seatbelt and pull her out of the car, and she decided to go along with it, knowing that protesting wouldn't get her very far at this point. Wherever he drove her smelled like a freshly-cut lawn. There were birds chirping and a dog barking in the distance, and she could see the sunlight through the cloth threads of her blindfold. _

_ "Ready?" he asked. There were many things that she could have said at that moment - biting remarks - but she had a feeling that she knew where this was going, and she could only nod in the anticipation that was bubbling inside her. She felt Alfred place his lips gently on the back of her head and hold them there, and there was a small tug on the blindfold as he grabbed the knot that kept it on her head. He removed his lips to count slowly._

_ "One...Two...Three!"_

_ The blindfold was ripped off and Julia had to blink in the sunlight for a moment to let her eyes adjust. And once they did, she stood there slightly confused, staring at what was ahead of her._

_ It was a modern-looking house, with brick walls and an even, gray roof. The lawn was nicely trimmed, and the door and shutters matched the roof well. A chimney poked out from the side, and a garage attached to the other side. There was one large oak tree that stood proudly in the front yard, and a tire swing hung from one of its branches. She knew this house like the back of her hand; this was the house she had been looking at buying since she and Alfred were newly engaged. But why did he bring her here...?_

_ He wrapped his strong arms around her from behind, and she felt his breath tickle her neck as he placed a feather-light kiss there. "Alfred...Why...?"_

_ She could feel him smile. "You wanted it so badly, I thought it was the least I could do for my beautiful wife."_

_ The reality of it hit her faster than lightning, and the tears formed and rolled down her cheeks almost immediately. She smiled brightly and looked at this house again. This is it. This is the house she and Alfred will live in forever. They will raise a family here. Have a little dog or two. Grow old. She could see all of it right in front of her. The future was right there in her grasp, and Alfred was right there, holding her close, smiling into her neck proudly. _

_ She made a noise that sounded like a mixture between a gasp, a sob, and a laugh, and turned around abruptly to hug him tightly around the shoulders, burying her face in his strong shoulders. He laughed and embraced her so she was as close to him as possible while in a standing-hug and nuzzled her ear. She wanted to thank him, but no coherent words could escape past her lips, so she leaned up and kissed him on her tiptoes, flooding him with as much love as she could muster in a kiss. She felt him kiss back with just as much love and passion, and she knew in that moment that everything had fallen into place. _

It took everything Julia had to keep the tears in. That memory was too much. She buried her face in her hands and tried with all her might not to cry. She couldn't cry. Victorea would be back soon. She needed to think of something else. Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts.

_I am going to be happy. I am happy. I am loved. I am safe. Alfred is safe. Alfred will come home. Everything will -_

A knock on the door interrupted her from her thoughts, which was half of a relief and half of an annoyance. She got up slowly, in no rush, and walked over to the door, chuckling as she thought, _Did Tia lock herself out again?_

She opened the door slowly and started to say something, but stopped immediately.

_...No._

There stood a tall blond man with a cowlick and bright blue eyes the color of a clear sky, dressed in a military uniform, smiling at her with a smile she knew all too well. She stood gaping for what may have been hours.

He chuckled. "Hey, can I come in?"

Julia stared, and he walked in, not waiting for an answer. It was only then did she notice someone standing behind him, but she couldn't even tell who at this point. She watched as he walked in the kitchen and took a look around. She couldn't move. It was as if every blood cell in her body just sank to the bottom of her feet, weighing her down and draining her brain from any thought. She couldn't feel. She couldn't breathe.

He turned to her, puzzled. "What's the matter?" His voice had an underlying hurt tone. " Aren't you excited to see me again?"

She blinked at him. She couldn't manage any other response. He smiled at her, opened his arms and said, "Come on, now, can't you at least give me a hug?" His voice had that begging tone that she always fell for. And that was what got her blood rushing back to her head and filling he body. Her eyes watered and the tears that she tried so hard to keep in not a moment ago now flowed freely down her cheeks, and she leaped over to him and hugged him as tightly as she could. He laughed and spun her around, and held her so close she could feel his heart beating against her chest, strong and full, and with each pulse of his heart, she could feel a bit of her heart re-filling the empty void that she felt would never heal. She finally managed a sound: a laugh, jubilant and canty. It was like unclogging a stream - once the first trickle came out, the rest poured afterwards, and she talked a mile a minute, crying his name in happiness over and over again until his name didn't even sound like a word anymore. She could feel his tears on her hair, too, and he was mumbling sweet words of comfort into her ear - sappy nothings that she sank into and absorbed with every tendon in her heart.

He pulled her chin up and gazed into her eyes, and she just realized then how much she truly missed him. He pulled her in for a kiss, and she melted into it, wrapping her arms around him tighter and kissing with all of the emotion that she kept bottled in all of these years. And judging by the way he kissed her, there was a lot of things he felt during that time, too.

When they broke away, she set her forehead on his and smiled at him. "I cannot believe how much I missed you," she mumbled. His smile widened even further, and his eyes were soft and gentle and excited all at the same time.

"I missed you more," he argued happily. He leaned in for another kiss, when they heard a choking sound from the doorway.

Julia and Alfred turned abruptly, and only now did Julia realize that Arthur had come home as well, also in uniform. He had watched the whole scene surprisingly patiently, and his eyes sparkled with mischievous humor as he pretended to gag. "Lord, in my house? Get a room, you two!" It was plain to see that he was happy for them, but he had a habit of hiding things like that from most people.

Julia smiled, staying in Alfred's warm embrace. "It's good to see you, Arthur."

He nodded at her and smiled, and glanced around the room. His face fell slowly. Julia chuckled. "She's outside."

As if the timing of today's events couldn't have been more perfect, the three of them heard Victorea calling from the other room. "Hey, Julia?" She walked in slowly, and Julia could see Arthur's face beam brightly at her. She didn't even notice, her mind slow from the depression she suffered from after her husband's departure. She as carrying a tin tray with a tea set the two wives had used the night before. "I think I'm going to have to go to Church a little earlier, if I -!"

Julia tried her hardest not to laugh, and Alfred snorted at her as Victorea looked up and noticed the two men standing there that weren't here this morning. She caught eyes with Arthur, and Julia smiled as she saw that rare happiness and love that only ever seemed present around his wife, who stood there gaping dumbly at him. Julia glanced over at her own smirking husband. "Is that what I looked like?"

His smirk widened a little and he kissed her forehead gently. "Yep."

Julia jumped a little at the sound of a booming shattering and clanging, and turned to see Victorea had dropped everything she was carrying, effectively shattering the tea set all over the floor, and ran over to Arthur.

Arthur laughed and she jumped into his open arms, and Julia smiled at the sight. They were both crying, and Arthur buried his face in her hair, mumbling things to her that were in audible to her and Alfred.

Julia turned to her enchanting husband, and he smiled down at her jubilantly. Alfred leaned his head over and kissed her jaw, whispering tender promises and professions of love that made her heart melt again. How he stopped writing because he was being sent home and how he wanted it to be a surprise. How he promised that they would have the family they wanted and how he loved her so much his chest ached just thinking of her. She smiled and leaned into his touch, whispering back all of the things she wanted to tell him so badly all this time. She could hear the same from the couple next to her, but she couldn't focus on anyone but Alfred.

He was home. He was safe. And everyone was happy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Yeah, it's cheesy, but everyone needs a little fluff to help. Sometimes these stories give us strength to continue on with our struggles.

God bless the solders, not just from our home county but from all countries. Bless those who gave up their time and lives and health and safety and happiness to protect all of these things for everyone else. For those who returned, for those who did not, and for those who have yet to come back. There's always hope. Just put it out into the universe, and it's bound to come back to you.

~Dreampainter


End file.
